


"Why don't you believe me?"

by EddieSasspbrak



Series: Dialogue Prompts [3]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Characters are 16/17, Light Angst, M/M, Rating for Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:00:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21915634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EddieSasspbrak/pseuds/EddieSasspbrak
Summary: Richie Tozier is in love with his best friend. But how do you confess to someone you're always lying to?Prompts inspired by one line of dialogue. Prompt in title.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: Dialogue Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575751
Comments: 3
Kudos: 132





	"Why don't you believe me?"

Richie Tozier was in love with his best friend. He’d spent their early years denying he was even gay, not wanting to deal with the ramifications of being queer in a small backwards town like Derry. When he’d finally accepted that he was doomed to be attracted to men, he also realized that maybe his desire to be close to Eddie Kaspbrak was fueled by more than just friendship.

Soon he found himself watching the other boy whenever they were together. And they were together all the time. He watched him when they were riding bikes down the streets with their friends, he watched him when they were hanging out at one of the Losers houses, and when they went swimming in the quarry, he for sure watched him.

He tried to be discrete about it, but that proved difficult when that adorable little face was laughing so wistfully. His eyes would crinkle, and his smile would spread across his whole face, lighting it up in the most beautiful way. Even when he was giving him dirty looks or rolling his eyes at a joke Richie had just tried, he was beautiful in his eyes. The way he made Richie’s heart pound in his chest with the simplest gestures made it seem like it was intentional. Luckily, only two people had noticed the way he fixated on the other boy, and neither one was Eddie.

Two of his other best friends, Stanley Uris and Beverly Marsh, not only noticed, they talked about it together regularly. In fact, they had a bet going. Stan believed that Eddie would notice before Richie ever got around to confessing. Bev believed that Richie would reach his breaking point and blurt it out in a very public, very embarrassing way. If she won, Stan promised to buy her a carton of cigarettes, if he won, Bev would break into his father’s office, steal the creepy painting and burn it. They shook on it and then watched Richie’s panicked face as he realized he’d been staring for just a little too long.

Richie and Eddie regularly spent time together without the rest of their friends. They were comfortable with one another, able to sit quietly together for long periods of time without it getting awkward. Eddie spent much of his free time in Richie’s basement. Richie wasn’t really allowed to be at Eddie’s house. His mom didn’t like him or his crude sense of humor. Sometimes he’d still sneak him in, but it was just easier being at Richie’s.

Eddie lay sprawled out on the couch, Richie on the floor near his feet with his back to the couch. Both had comics in their hands, neither one having outgrown them over the years. Richie couldn’t concentrate on what he was looking at, staring at the same page for ten minutes, not comprehending the words he was reading. Every time Eddie would shift on the couch, laugh at a joke he’d read, or reacted to something that was happening on the page, all of Richie’s attention was suddenly on him. He was extremely distracting.

Unable to resist any longer, Richie turned his head to the side to get a look at the other boy. Most his face was obscured by the comic, only a sliver of his smile visible from his vantage point. Still, that was enough for Richie. It aggravated him how something so simple could make him suddenly feel like he could puke from the nerves knotted in his stomach. The other boy distracted, he took this chance to linger a bit longer. He lost himself in imagining what it would be like to just lean up and kiss his best friend.

He was pulled from the fantasy when Eddie’s socked foot collided with the side of his head, knocking his glasses askew. He straightened the large frames on his face and focused his attention on Eddie’s face. He’d dropped the comic down to his chest and was looking at Richie with a small smile on his lips. Richie prayed then that he wasn’t blushing.

“What is wrong with you?” Eddie asked, amused.

“Nothing.” Richie shot back quickly.

“You haven’t turned the page in like fifteen minutes, and you were just staring at me with this vacant look on your face. I think you were drooling.”

“I was not.” Richie lifted his comic from his lap and went back to trying to read.

“Seriously, what the hell is up with you lately? You keep zoning out.”

“I’m just distracted. It’s nothing.”

“By what?”

“Your mom. Let it go.”

Now Eddie was intrigued. Richie often used jokes to deflect from he was actually feeling. He had his moments in which he showed his friends how deeply he truly cared for them. But when it was personal, he was likely to avoid the topic and distract the others with a series of groan worthy jokes. It was when he couldn’t even come up with those that they knew it was something really bothering him.

“That’s all you got? Come on Richie, if you’re going to try to change the subject at least try a little harder.” Eddie said, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and sitting up.

“Fuck you.” Richie responded, ignoring his challenge

Eddie set his comic to the side a slid off the couch and onto the floor next to Richie. Their sides were pressed together closely, and Richie was trying his best to pretend they weren’t. Eddie nudged the other with his shoulder three times, the first two softer, the third hard enough to knock him slightly sideway, making him drop one side of the comic. He wasn’t going to let Eddie win though.

“Come on, Trashmouth, make me laugh.” Eddie said, poking his cheek with one exceptionally clean fingernail.

“Stop.” Richie said, smacking his hand away.

Refusing to give up, Eddie turned himself until his back was facing Richie, lifting himself up slightly and dropping back down on top of Richie’s lap, pinning the comic beneath him. Now Richie was forced to look at him though Eddie hadn’t been expecting the look of panic that he was met with.

“What the fuck, Eddie!” Richie nearly shouted, pulling his hands out from under the smaller boy.

“Stop ignoring me.” Eddie said, as if his actions were completely justified.

“What do you want?”

“I want you to tell me what’s going on with you.”

“Get the fuck off me.” Richie said, trying to shove Eddie off his lap.

Eddie dug his heels into the carpet, trying to prevent him from successfully removing him from on top of him.

“Not until you agree to tell me what’s going on.” Eddie said.

“Nothing is going on! Get. Off.”

“You can’t fucking lie to me! I know there’s something in that head of yours that you’re not sharing.” Eddie emphasized his words by poking Richie’s forehead as he spoke.

“Why do I need to tell you?” Richie was getting angry, not wanting to have this conversation.

“Because I’m your best friend! You tell me everything!”

“I don’t tell you everything!”

“Yes, you do! Give me one good reason why you can’t tell me what’s going on!”

“Because I fucking love you! That’s why!”

As soon as the words left Richie’s mouth the room fell silent. Eddie’s mouth hung open, having been prepared to respond to whatever he said, but no words came to him. He stared up at his best friend’s very red face and wide eyes in disbelief. He wasn’t sure he’d heard him right, or if he actually understood what he was trying to convey. Then again, this was Richie and Eddie knew him very well.

“Oh…oh haha asshole.” Eddie said, sitting up and turning to face him.

“What?” Richie asked, shocked.

“You can’t distract me. I want to know what’s going on with you.”

“I just…I just told you!”

“Bullshit! I know how you operate, Tozier. Playing a game of gay chicken to distract me from the conversation. Let me freak out and not know what to say just so you can start laughing at me. You’ll call me stupid for falling for it and I’ll get angry and forget what we were talking about. It’s not going to work!”

Richie didn’t say anything for a long moment. Ok, maybe that’s something he would have done a few years ago. But to be fair, that was before he began questioning his sexuality. When, and if, he eventually confessed his feelings to Eddie, he hadn’t been expecting this kind of reaction.

“I’m not lying.” He finally said.

“I’m not falling for it!”

“I’m not lying! Why would I lie about something like this? Why don’t you believe me?” Richie’s heart was beating so hard he was surprised it wasn’t visible from outside his chest.

“Why? Grade seven! We were wrestling. You took my inhaler and I was trying to get it back. I ended up sitting on top of you and you looked me dead in the eyes and said, ‘we should kiss’. When I got all embarrassed and started stuttering worse than Bill, you started laughing so hard there were tears in your eyes! This isn’t your first time trying shit like this on me!”

Richie honestly didn’t know what he could say to make him believe him. He had been too fast and loose with his jokes in the past and now it was hurting him. Could your heart break even if you weren’t officially being rejected? It had to be possible as Richie currently felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach and he was going to be sick. If this felt this terrible, how bad would it feel it Eddie was really rejecting him? Richie made a choice.

“Yea, fine. It was a joke. Haha.” Despite his best efforts, his voice came out flat.

Eddie’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. Sure, he believed it was a sick joke but Richie’s reaction to his own humor was usually boisterous, not like this. In the past when he’d managed to convince Eddie of something, his response to him would have been rolling on the floor, holding his sides as he howled with laughter. Even if Eddie figured out what he was doing and didn’t give him the reaction he wanted, he was still always all smiles.

Abruptly, Richie stood and crossed to the fridge in the corner. He opened it and began scanning the cans of pop that sat on the shelf. Eddie watched him. Something was definitely wrong, and he wasn’t going to let Richie avoid it now.

“Richie…what is going on?” Eddie asked, his voice softer now.

Richie closed the fridge without making a selection, his hand remaining on the handle, his back to Eddie. The smaller boy stood and began to cross the room to his friend. He stopped in his tracks when he saw just the smallest tremble in Richie’s shoulders, his free hand balled into a fist at his side.

“Richie…”

“You should probably go.” Richie spoke quickly, his voice uneven.

“But you-.”

“Just go!” Richie shouted, still refusing to turn around.

Eddie startled but didn’t move. He knew that Richie was crying, or at least trying very hard not to. What could be so bad that he would respond like this? Eddie had seen him cry before; in fact, he’d hugged him for dear life while he cried. This was different. He’d never been afraid to let Eddie see him like this before.

Eddie thought back to how their conversation had started. He’d been staring with this look on his face. Like he was lost in a fantasy of pure bliss. While looking at his face. Eddie wondered if he’d always been this slow and realized how monumentally he’d fucked up. He was just so used to Richie and his stupid jokes at his expense. His kneejerk reaction was to take everything he said as a joke.

“Richie.” Eddie said, taking another step toward him.

“I told you to leave.” Richie sighed, frustrated.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Eddie said, matter-o-fact. “Richie were you…were you serious?”

“No. I told you. It was a joke.” Richie deadpanned.

“You’re lying.”

“Which is it, Eddie? Am I lying about loving you or lying about lying?”

“Can you just turn around. It’s annoying talking to your back.”

“Then leave.”

Eddie sighed dramatically and closed the distance between them, grabbing hold of Richie’s shoulder and forcing him to turn. His eyes were red around the edges, tear tracks on his cheeks though they weren’t falling anymore. He quickly turned his head to the side so Eddie couldn’t see and wiped at his face with his sleeve.

“Richie…I’m-.”

“Don’t. I don’t want to hear it.” Richie said, leaning against the wall behind him.

“You don’t know what I’m going to say.”

“Yes, I do. Can’t we just pretend this didn’t happen?”

“No. We can’t. Why didn’t you tell me before now?”

“Because of how fantastically well this went.” Richie said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“You can’t blame me for thinking it was a trick! I’ve been burned by you one too many times before.”

Richie didn’t have a response for that. And that was fine, because Eddie didn’t want to hear another excuse from him or a request for denial. He didn’t want to hear anything self-deprecating or annoyingly stupid. He just wanted for that trashmouth to stay shut for once so he could confirm something.

Standing on his toes to close the small difference in height, Eddie grabbed Richie by the back of the neck and brought his mouth to his own. The kiss was innocent, and short, Eddie pulling away when Richie’s fingers brushed against his hip. The look Richie was giving him now was enough to make him laugh under different circumstances. He had to hold it in for now, not wanting Richie to think now that he was fucking with him.

“How long do you think I’ve been in love with you? Wishing that just for one day you saw me as more than your friend and target for jokes.” Eddie asked, removing his hand from Richie’s neck and stepping back.

“What? You...” Again, Richie was at a loss for words.

“Since grade seven when you said, ‘we should kiss.’ All I could think about for the next week was kissing you. It was all down hill from there. Jackass.”

“You never said anything. Never acted like you had feelings for me.” Richie was still in shock.

“What choice did I have? I was 90% sure you were straight and didn’t know how you’d react. Why are you surprised? Isn’t that the same way you felt?”

“Wait…what about the other 10%?” Richie asked.

Eddie rolled his eyes and ignored the question before looking at Richie with a soft expression. “Tell me again.” He said, taking another step closer.

“What?”

“Tell me again.” He repeated. “I promise to have the right reaction this time.”

Richie swallowed. This Eddie was one he didn’t know. An Eddie who loved him as more than a friend, an Eddie who had just kissed him, an Eddie who was now looking at him with nearly literal hearts in his eyes. The empty hole in his chest was gone and now it squeezed painfully, the anxiety creeping up his back and catching in his throat.

“I…I love you.” He said, breathless.

Eddie smiled, his hand finding its way into Richie’s. “I love you too.”

Richie was on cloud nine as he leaned down and initiated the kiss this time. Eddie’s lips were soft and tasted salty from the pretzels they’d been eating earlier. Richie imagined countless times what it would feel like to gently hold Eddie’s face between his hands, while the other boy’s hands tangled in his hair and now, he knew. It was bliss. Complete and utter bliss.

A few weeks later, they would slip up in front of their friends and wind up telling them that they were together. They’re supportive, because of course they are. Eddie and Richie don’t quite understand just why Beverly smiled as wide as she did or why Stan groaned in anguish when they told them how it happened. That is, until an hour later when Stan disappears for a ten minutes and comes back with a carton of cigarettes in Beverly’s preferred brand and handed it over to her. Eddie chastises them for betting on their friends and Richie complains that he hadn’t been included.

Nothing much changed when they were with their friends. The two boys had already been very close, very physical with one another, now they just snuck kisses when the others weren’t looking. Their friends noticed no change at all, confused as to why they hadn’t gotten together long ago and saved themselves a lot of pain. Neither wanted to think about that. They were together now and that’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Will I ever write more with other characters? The answer is yes, just wasn't feeling it this time.  
> Thanks for all the support I've been getting on these. Makes me feel all warm and stuff. Comments give me life by the way so don't be afraid to say something.  
> Also available on tumblr. EddieSasspbrak there as well.


End file.
